For various reasons, an individual may desire to obtain a model of an actual space, e.g., an interior of a room. More specifically, an individual may wish to capture and/or display 3D image data from any subset of a bounded or partially bounded space. 3D spatial imaging, e.g., finds application in model building, reverse engineering, creation of virtual environments, “as built” site evaluations and/or other applications.
Various approaches to 3D imaging have been previously developed. These approaches, however, have been lacking in one way or another. For example, some previously developed approaches do not provide suitably realistic renderings of the imaged space. However, in some instances, it is desirable to obtain a photo-realistic model, e.g., including the color and/or texture of surfaces. Moreover, many prior art approaches tend to be complicate, time consuming and/or labor intensive. For example, in accordance with some prior art approaches, there may be multiple steps within the imaging process, with each step requiring a separate equipment set-up. Additionally, many prior art systems have limited fields of view and hence cannot map an entire space without moving and repositioning the equipment. Therefore, multiple scans must be taken from various positions in the space, and an experienced operator must then register these scans in order to generate a complete 3D representation of the entire space.
Accordingly, a new and improved system and/or method for 3D spatial imaging is disclosed that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.